Weekly Reflections

Srimati CarrieSpeaks on “Prepare Ye The Way”Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 11:00am

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to the light of God. We prepare ourselves not only during this holy season but daily. If we keep our consciousness attached to the sensory world, we lose sight of the true goal. But if we lift our consciousness the supreme Self of us all, we realize the true Self.

The path is a difficult one. It requires constant effort and determination. There are many challenges to keep to “the straight path.” That is why the Upanishads called this path, the razor's edge.

It is our own inner voice that is the “voice in the wilderness,” calling us to “prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Will we heed this voice? Or is that still small voice within us drowned out by the loud noises of our objective lives?

Great souls of all times and all lands have offered us guidance along this path. The Buddha offered the "Noble Eightfold Path." Lao Tzu described the “Tao." Jesus of Christ Consciousness showed us “the way, the truth and the life.”

Let us remember that our preparation is to inspire ourselves and those around us to the divine light of soul. With this blessed inspiration we guide our lives with the consciousness of God.

—Srimati Carrie

FROM GURUS AND SWAMIS:

“Our origin and destination are assured, and God has given our souls all the provisions we need for our journey through life…but he leaves the packing and unpacking to us.”

— Swami Kamalananda, Reflections on Still Waters

“Mind to think, intellect to know, heart to feel and individualized self-consciousness to inspire and to motivate—all these were given to me and placed within my consciousness. Well-equipped and well-provided, I traveled from distance to distance in the world of ever-changing beauty and never-ending mystery.”

—Swami Premananda, Prayers of Soul

NOBLE THOUGHTS:

“A voice of one cries out in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the path of God.”

— Isaiah 40: 3

“Jesus answered: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’.”

— The Bible, John 14:6

"I am the inspiration and the ideal of the life of subjective meditation and that of the life of objective action. I am the supreme, eternal Reality of all the ever-changing worlds and the friend of all beings. He who knows me thus attains peace."

— Bhagavad Gita, 5:29

“I place my trust in Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He has grasp of its forelock. Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.”

— Qur’an 11:56

“He lives truly whose life is guided by the purity, wisdom and light of the Self.”

– Katha Upanishad

“In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right vision, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration... I follow that path.”